Morris- Bridge Scene

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom begins with the title character being up for anything as long as he will achieve "fortune and glory". When Indie is asked, or rather told, by the head of the village to go to Pankot Palace and retrieve the stone that had been stolen, Indie does it only because he realizes the stone's value to himself. He does not believe that the stone was the source of life for the village.

Once Indie sees the stone's power at work and even experiences it himself, he starts to believe in it. This new found belief is what saves him on the bridge.

When Indie is hanging on the bridge with Mola Ram, his only hope is his belief in the stone's power. Throughout his journey, he has seen what the stones can do, and he developed a belief in something more powerful than himself. He no longer dismisses the villagers' desire to have the stone back because he knows how powerful it really is. Indie surrenders himself to the power of the stone, trusting it will save him, and he is right. The stone catches fire and Mola Ram falls to his death.

To complete his journey, Indiana Jones returns to the village with the stone and the children as he was supposed to. Willie asks him why he returned the stone instead of putting it in a museum, and his answer shows that he has changed in his journey. He took others into consideration before himself. Although, he also says that he will keep looking for "fortune and glory" which shows that there is more to his transformation to come.

Frady - Apotheosis on the Bridge

In the events leading up to the scene on the bridge, Indy has begun to exhibit more and more compassion and selflessness. However, these traits were tempered with his drive for fortune and glory. On the bridge, however, Indy seems free of his selfish motives, willing to drop the Shankara stones into the crocodile-infested water below.

When his plan to use the stones as a hostage falls through, and Indy finds himself playing tug-of-war with Mola Ram while they dangle precariously from the severed rope bridge, he does something unexpected. Somehow, Indy channels the power of Shiva, chanting and making the stones grow hot enough to catch fire and burn through his satchel. It's not certain where this sudden arcane knowledge comes from, but it serves the purpose of implying Indy's apotheosis. Indy exhibits the requisite attributes: divine knowledge, compassion, and bliss. He now fully understands the spiritual significance (power) of the stones, and that it transcends their monetary significance.

Koeferl- Harrison Ford's apotheosis on the bridge

Indiana Jones is trapped- enemies are closing in on him from both sides of the bridge. This represents the two paths that he can take. We do not yet know whether he will try to sell the stones or give them back to the village people (he still has all three stones). Back in the temple, Jones throws a rock at one of the Thuggee in an attempt to help the children. As he's escaping the temple, he makes the decision to rescue the children as well as themselves. Although he cares for the children, we know that he also cares about his fortune and glory. On the bridge, we know that Indie is going to try to survive one way or the other, but it is not until he accesses the power of the stones that he understands the significance of the religion. He realized that the remaining stone was more important to these villagers than to anyone else (even himself!).

Theology and religious beliefs are rhyming elements in the Indiana Jones series. In both Temple of Doom and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indie is confronted with religious artifacts and until the end of each of these films, he doesn't believe in any "mumbo jumbo" spiritual beliefs. An apotheosis is the "exaltation of a subject to a divine level". In the end of the bridge scene of Temple of Doom, Indie comes to believe in the power of the stones, and actually uses them to cast the antagonist into the crocodile-infested ravine. In that moment, Indiana Jones experiences an apotheosis and reaches a godlike level.

It might seem like Indie used the stones only to survive and not because he actually believed in the stones' power or in any religion (this is what I thought at first). However, he wouldn't have been able to use the stones if he wanted to keep them for himself or if he was planning to turn them in for personal wealth or glory. If that were the case, he wouldn't have truly believed in the religion. Indie was able to overcome the priest because the priest had betrayed Shiva, and Indie was trying to return the stones to the village. He was fighting for the right reasons, and the priest wanted the stones for the wrong reasons. He could use the stones only because he believed in the power of the religion.

Hutchinson- Temple of Doom

Throughout Temple of Doom, we watch Indiana Jones go on a quest for the sacred rock that was stolen from the village. It is clear from the beginning that Jones isn't searching for the rocks to help the people of the village but to find "fortune and glory" for himself. It is his mantra, always he says he is after "fortune and glory." Being a scholar, he doesn't actually believe in the sacred powers of the stone that were described by the villagers. However, he does understand the historical value, and he hopes that finding the stone will secure the fame and wealth he's been craving.

Fortunately for the people of the village (and the audience for that matter), Indy starts to develop a conscience. His journey brings about a change in him that finally breaks through in the scene on the bridge. The creepy priest guy gives him a chance to save himself and Shorthand and Willie if he gives up the stones. Naturally, Indy says no, but it's still unclear whether that's because he wants the stones, or he wants to return them to the villagers. It isn't until Indy and the creepy priest are dangling perilously from the severed bridge that Indy's change comes to fruition.

The creepy priest tries to take the rock from Indy's satchel, but Indy's belief brings the rock to life, burning the priest and sending him to his immediate doom. Indy realized that the priest betrayed Shiva, and that he had fallen (quite literally) from the faith. He saw the path the priest's actions had taken. He saw that there was more death than life, and more suffering than prosperity. He freed the children from the mines. He knew that he was their only chance for salvation. He knew that the priest took the stone, it would never end. Indy was the savior, and this realization brought belief. The belief brought the power needed to save the village's children. No longer is it just about Indiana Jones and "fortune and glory," it is about the communities and the people.